TBS - Hotaru and Sibyl - Almost Lost You

Dragonkeeper6 as Sibyl

SamsocksDraws as Hotaru


Sibyl padded down the familiar path to the healer's den. She had memorized the path to get here from all spots in the camp. She raised her head as she neared the entrance and looked into the dark entrance, her tail flicking with nervousness. She sighed and padded into the den and saw exactly the cat she was looking for. "Where you really going to leave us?" She asked him as she approached, concern and fear reflected in her gaze.


Hotaru's back was to the cat that he notice padded in, she was one of the kittens he checked on every once and awhile just to make sure that the kittens knew him and plus he had to make sure the new members of the region were healthy. She of course was the first to actually talk to him since the Gathering the South held. He was still full of sorrow and hasn't really been out of the Healers Den, well his den now, since then.

She asked him a question that he was sure was on everyone's minds. He sighed and turned his head towards the now apprentice Sibyl. Hotaru's maple colored eyes looked dull and 'looked' above her head. His face showed his weariness and depression that has plagued him since Pip left. Tilting his head downwards knowing full well that she was shorter than him. His normally cool and polite tone was not there it was raw from his crying and his voice held a depressed tone to it, "Sibyl..." he stopped but decided to tell the truth, the young she cat would want to know, "I was in all honesty planning on leaving. Pip... well Pip really does care for this region. He is not the spy as I would have known. Surely you have seen us nearly connected to the hip since Merle has left which was before any of these follower attacks occurred and... I'm rambling, sorry. Normally I'm not like this. You could ask Benze- no he's gone too. Darn it, Sorry most of the cats still here don't really interact with me much. Getting back on point. Pip told me before he left that even though the two of us have grown very close he did not wish to see his region to fall into ruin because there was no healer here." He gave a sigh again and said the truest words which make him be watched more often than normal, "I would have left with Pip if he didn't tell me to stay. I'm sorry to tell you this however you asked for if I was going to leave the South then." He paused and asked Sibyl on her own feelings about him, "You don't mistrust me like Sairen does now do you?"

The brown tabby decided to move the rest of his body towards the apprentice, getting up just to sit back down once he turned his body towards her. His unseeing maple eyes not in line with Sibyl's own. Not that he could help it since he was blind, but it did make some cats just not like him as he was not like them cause he couldn't see. However the kittens usually decide if they like him or not when they are apprentices as they know more of the world now as to where this apprentice stood with him, he was not sure yet.


Sibyl considered the question for a moment. She opened her mouth to respond, but paused when she met Hotaru's unfocused gaze. She looked into his eyes, felling his pain and suffering at the memory of Pip. After a moment she finally responded. "You were close to him. I understand that. If my brother was banished, I would probably consider leaving as well." She looked at the healer's disheveled body and sighed. "But as terrible as this situation is, there are still cats here. Cats who need a healer to tell them everything's going to be ok, because Sairen can't do that right now." She shifted uncomfortably, she had never addressed such a serious topic before and she hoped she wasn't upsetting Hotaru. "I'm not saying don't greave, because everyone deserves a chance to recover, but our region needs you right now. Find something that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and cling to it. Maybe then this whole thing won't seem so bad." Sibyl sat in a sudden silence and waited for the ruddy brown cat to respond.


He gave the apprentice a apologetic look when she was answering him. He wasn't honestly sure if she would know how to be in his position should she be placed in it. In fact the more she continued to talk the more he felt bad. He was not really doing his job, but it was hard to if there was nothing here left for him his friends were gone and his family didn't know what to do with him now. His father thought less of him because of how strongly he defended Pip. He knew something he didn't know, but he honestly did not care what he thought he knew about him.

His mind returned from thinking about his family and returned to the cat in front of him. He honestly had no idea a few minutes had passed since she had stopped talking. "Sibyl, I am honestly sorry. I just don't think I can do that right now. There is nothing for me to grasp onto, you have you brother and your family behind you. My family right now they are just not sure what to do with me and honestly have left me alone, although my cousins have made sure that I have gotten some food every day. Though as you can see in the corner I just cannot eat very much. I have't been hungry and my two cousins generally eat what is left, but not always. Besides those two who although they are closer to me than the rest of my family they are still training. Well besides those two my two friends, Pip and Benzen, they were both exiled. Although Benzen was originally imprisoned here, but he spoke back to Sairen and was exiled." He paused and then continued, "Honestly I have nothing to grasp onto right now."

His weary eyes moved to the side and back straight above Sibyl. "I would help the region if I had anything to make me... well... not like I am right now. I can try to do some check-ups like I normally do, but I cannot give you my normal personality for some time. I'm sorry Sibyl, especially since I know you're not used to me like this." He tilted his head down and his hair began to cover his face.


Sibyl shifted so she sat in Hotaru's line of sight. "I guess I don't really expect you to act normal. Something big happened to you after all." She sat, trying to grip the concept of what had happened to him. Her face felt warm and her paws felt like they were on little spikes. She shifted uncomfortably back to how she was sitting before. She thought about it and decided she wasn't old enough to speak her mind on these things. The concepts soared over her head. How could she truly sympathize if she had never been in an unfortunate position like Hotaru?

She desperately wanted to escape the healer's den, which had quickly become hotter than the stale air blowing around outside. But if she got up and left, Hotaru might be lost forever in the eyes of their region- and possibly the others too. "What if we found you something temporarily that could help you?" She blurted out before she could stop herself. No going back now.


He heard Sibyl shiffle in front of him and the air was hot and stuffy. He could smell her uncomfortableness around him. He must have said too much this must be going clear over her head. She was barely more than a kitten really and he is spilling his guts to her, but it was of course because she asked. Not speaking to anyone might have gotten him to blab so much to an apprentice.

He felt really bad about it, yet she said something that he was not expecting to hear. Thinking to himself he thought, 'She wants to attempt to help me find something to just tempoaryily cheer me up? She is so sweet. I could at least try. If nothing else I can try to leave and go visit Pip. However with so many cats checking on me, probably due to Sarien, I don't think I can get away just yet.'

He moved his head up his hair parting aside when he lifted his head. His sorrowful and depressed voice had a ring of hope to it, "We could try. Are you sure you would like to help me? I'm sure I made you uncomfortable just a moment ago." His face looked hopeful and eager, but it had a splash of worry in it.


Sibyl nodded before realizing that Hotaru couldn't see her. "Yes" she replied in a quiet but sure voice. She took a deep breath and stood up. "I'll come talk to you everyday and we'll brainstorm things that could help. But I think the first step should be just finding the strength in yourself to go outside of this den." Sibyl looked at Hotaru, his hopes and worries reflecting back in her eyes. "But we can do that tomorrow. We've done enough for today." She stood light on her paws, watching Hotaru's movements with a new hope and energy in her limbs.


A faint smile grew on his face as Sibyl said she would come by everyday, he unconsciously reached out and placed his paw upon her head and gently petted her, "We can try tomorrow then." A slight bit of his normal self was showing as he petted her head gently. "I shall hear you again tomorrow then. If I am not awake when you come by feel free to wake me up. I'm normally an early morning cat though, since the sun generally wakes me up, but as of late I have been sleeping in more."

Realizing he was petting her he stopped and have a bit of an apologetic face and said, "Sorry force of habit. I used to do that with Benzen all the time. Go on ahead and run along okay? I will hear you tomorrow."

To Be Continued?